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Self-organized braiding in solar coronal loops
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 June 2015
Abstract
In this paper, we investigate the evolution of braided solar coronal loops. We assume that coronal loops consist of several internal strands which twist and braid about each other. Reconnection between the strands leads to small flares and heating of the loop to x-ray temperatures. Using a method of generating and releasing braid structure similar to a forest fire model, we show that the reconnected field lines evolve to a self-organised critical state. In this state, the frequency distributions of coherent braid sequences as well as flare energies follow power law distributions. We demonstrate how the presence of net helicity in the loop alters the distribution laws.
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- This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015
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